TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Bandits are officially back as the USFL eyes down its relaunch four decades after its short-lived stint came to an end.
Eight new teams for the spring football league, which are split between two divisions, were announced Monday during Fox Sports' "The Herd."
The North Division will include the Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, Philidelphia Stars, and Pittsburgh Maulers. The South Division has the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Tampa Bay Bandits.
Further information on when exactly the season will start and what match-ups we can expect have yet to be announced. The USFL games will use tweaked versions of the NFL's rules.
The team that wore similar colors to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first came on to the football scene in 1983 under owner John Bassett and were considered one of the league's "most entertaining teams."
With the Bandits stepping foot on the field once again, the Tampa Bay area could become a triple threat in football by 2023. That's when the XFL is currently slated to make its comeback after initially ending in bankruptcy due to COVID-19 canceling the 2020 season.
Then there's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course, who are chasing down a back-to-back Super Bowl championship title with all their titles returning.
Could the USFL's comeback give Tampa fans one more reason to call the city "Champa Bay?" We'll just have to wait to find out.
